Bucket tool organizer with tool insert

ABSTRACT

Bucket tool organizers useful for transporting and storing tools and other utensils are disclosed. A bucket tool organizer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may include a bucket mounted tool carrier adapted to contour about a container such as a bucket or pail, and a tool insert situated within the interior of the container. The bucket mounted tool carrier may include a number of pockets located on both an interior and exterior panel member that can be used to store objects therein. The tool insert may include a contoured holster situated within the interior of the container to store larger items such as power tools or the like.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/811,282 filed Mar. 25, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tool carriers and inserts. Morespecifically, the present invention pertains to bucket tool organizersuseful for transporting and storing tools, utensils, or other usefulimplements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bucket tool organizers (BTO's) are useful devices for transporting andstoring tools, utensils, or other useful implements. Such devicestypically include a bucket mounted tool carrier having a shape thatconforms generally to the surfaces of an empty container such as abucket or pail. In certain designs, the bucket mounted tool carrier maycomprise a generally cylindrical-shaped article manufactured from afabric-like material such as canvas or nylon that can be draped over thecontainer, converting the container into a storage device capable ofholding tools, utensils, fasteners, and other such objects. A number ofindividual pockets or dividers arranged about both the interior and/orexterior portions of the container can be used to quickly store andorganize variously sized objects for later access.

While a myriad of designs have been developed to convert existingcontainers into bucket tool organizers, many such designs are incapableof storing larger tools or utensils. For example, in those designshaving pockets or dividers that drape over the converted container,relatively large tools such as power drills, portable electric sanders,hammers, or the like may cause the bucket to become off-balanced anddestabilized. This problem is particularly evident when the tool to beinserted does not contour well with the shape of the pocket, causing thetool to move within the pocket and destabilize the container.Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a bucket tool organizeradapted to transport and store larger tools and utensils with increasedstability, functionality, and ease of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to bucket tool organizers useful fortransporting and storing tools, utensils, or other useful implements. Abucket tool organizer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention may include a bucket mounted tool carrier adapted tocontour about a container such as a bucket or pail, and a tool insertthat can be situated within the interior of the container to storerelatively large objects such as power tools. The bucket mounted toolcarrier may include a cylindrically shaped interior panel memberconfigured to drape over and extend into the interior of the container,and an exterior panel member coupled to the interior panel memberconfigured to drape over the exterior of the container. A number ofpockets arranged about both the interior and exterior panel members maybe used for storing various objects therein.

The tool insert may include a contoured holster having a shapeconfigured to tightly receive relatively large tools such as powerdrill, portable electric sanders, hammers, or the like. The contouredholster may include a number of panel members that conform generally tothe size and shape of the tool to be inserted therein. In certainembodiments, the tool insert may be removably situated within thecontainer using a set of clips or other suitable fastening means,allowing the device to be used alone or in combination with the bucketmounted tool carrier. In other embodiments, the tool insert may befixedly secured to the bucket mounted tool carrier by stitching or othersuitable attachment means. Since the tool insert is situated within theinterior of the container, the weight of the inserted tool isdistributed more towards the centroid of the container, providinggreater stability to the device. Moreover, since the tool is heldstationary within the contoured holster, instability caused by shiftingof the tool within the holster is further ameliorated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an illustrative bucket toolorganizer draped over a container;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the bucket tool organizer andcontainer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view showing the interior of the buckettool organizer and container of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is an upper-front perspective view of an illustrative toolinsert;

FIG. 5 is a lower-rear perspective view of the illustrative tool insertof FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cut-way perspective view showing the tool insert attached tothe bucket tool organizer and container of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 7 is a cut-way perspective view showing the tool insert attached tothe bucket tool organizer, a tool box and container of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing theattachment of the tool insert to the bucket tool organizer and containerof FIGS. 1-3; and

FIG. 9 is a cut-away perspective view of another illustrative buckettool organizer draped over a container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description should be read with reference to the drawings,in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in likefashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depictselected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. Although examples of construction, dimensions, and materialsare illustrated for the various elements, those skilled in the art willrecognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternativesthat may be utilized.

FIG. 1 is a front-perspective view of a bucket tool organizer 10 inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Buckettool organizer 10 includes a bucket mounted tool carrier 12 adapted tocontour about an existing container 14 such as a bucket, pail, or thelike to permit the transport and storage of tools, utensils, fasteners,and other frequently used objects. The tool carrier 12 may include agenerally cylindrical-shaped interior panel member 16 configured todrape over the upper rim 18 of the container 14 and extend downwardly tocover all or a portion of the inside surface of the container 14. Thetool carrier 12 may be made from a supple, wear-resistant fabric orcloth material such as canvas or nylon that can be easily adjusted tocontour about containers of various size and shape. Examples of suitablematerials may include 6.6 nylon, 600 denier fabric, Cordura® nylon yarnor twin from the E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del.,or ANSO®-tex nylon fiber from Honeywell, Inc. of Morristown, N.J. Otherpliable sheet or film materials such as polyolefins or other the likemay also be satisfactory.

An exterior panel member 20 formed from the same piece of materialforming the interior panel member 16 may be draped over the upper rim 18of the container 14 and extend downwardly over all or a portion of theexterior surface of the container 14. The bottom edge 22 of the exteriorpanel member 20 may be configured to lie essentially flat against theexterior surface of the container 14, and is bound by stitchingrepresented generally by reference number 24.

A slotted section 26 extending upwardly from the bottom edge 22 upwardlyabove the base 28 of the container handle 30 allows the exterior panelmember 20 to lie flush about the exterior surface of the container 12without interfering with the operation of the handle 30. A similarslotted section 32 (see FIG. 2) on the opposite side of the exteriorpanel member 20 prevents obstruction with the base 28 for the other sideof the handle 30. The slots 26,32 located on each side of the exteriorpanel member 20 divide the member 20 into essentially two sections34,36, each located on opposite sides of container handle 30.

The exterior panel member 20 may include a plurality of pockets ofvarying width and height that can be used to store various objectstherein. As shown in FIG. 1, the first section 34 of the exterior panelmember 20 may include one or more lower pockets 38, and one or moreupper pockets 40 that can be used to store objects therein. Each pocket38,40 may be formed by sewing pieces of fabric cloth or other suitablematerial to the exterior panel member 20. Each pocket 38,40 may bedemarcated by vertical stitch lines 42 that define the verticalboundaries of the pockets 38,40, and horizontal stitch lines 44 thatdefine the horizontal boundaries of the pockets 38,40. In some cases, aportion of the stitching used to form the pockets 38,40 will be commonwith the stitching used to form the bottom stitching 24 and the slots26,32. A pocket opening 46 for each pocket 38,40 opens upwardly to allowtools, utensils, or other objects to be inserted from above. Certain ofthe pockets 38,40 may also include a closable flap 48 that can be usedto seal the pocket to prevent objects from falling out during transport.A Velcro® tab 50, snap fitting, button, hook, zipper, or other suitablefastener may be utilized to secure the flap 48 to the exterior of thepocket.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the bucket tool organizer 10and container 14 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the second section 36 ofthe exterior panel member 20 may include one or more lower pockets 52,middle pockets 54, and upper pockets 56, each of which can be used tostore variously sized objects therein. As with the pockets 38,40 on thefirst section 34, each tier of pockets 52,54,56 may be formed by sewingpieces of fabric cloth or other suitable material to the exterior panelmember 20. The pockets 52,54,56 may be demarcated by several verticalstitch lines 58 and horizontal stitch lines 60 that define,respectively, the vertical and horizontal boundaries of the pockets52,54,56. In some cases, a portion of the stitching used to form thepockets 52,54,56 will be common with the stitching 24 used to form thebottom edge 22 and the slots 26,32.

Although a specific arrangement of pockets is depicted in FIGS. 1-2, itshould be understood that other pocket configurations are possible. Thesize and shape of the pockets can be selected to hold certain types ofitems in any variety of positions. In certain embodiments, for example,the pockets may have an open-bottom design that allows access to thetool from a location either above or below the pocket. In otherembodiments, the pockets may be pleated to permit the pocket to expand,allowing the insertion of larger sized items.

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view showing the interior of the buckettool organizer 10 and container 14 of FIGS. 1-2. As shown in FIG. 3, theinterior panel member 16 is configured to conform generally to theinterior surface of the container 14, and extends downwardly towards thebottom surface 58 of the container 14. A pleated section 60 of theinterior panel member 16 may be provided to permit the tool carrier 12to stretch and conform to variously sized containers 14.

The interior panel member 16 may further include a number of pockets 62that can be used to transport and store various items within theinterior of the container 14. The pockets 62 may be formed by anextension of the interior panel member 16 that has been folded upwardlyat a lower edge 64 that forms the lower boundary of the pockets 62 to anupper edge 66 that forms the upper boundary of the pockets 62. A numberof vertical stitch lines 68, in turn, define the vertical boundaries ofthe pockets 62. A pocket opening 70 for each pocket 62 opens upwardly toallow tools or other objects to be inserted from above. As with otherpockets discussed herein, a closable flap (not shown) may be furtherprovided to seal one or more of the pockets 62, if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an illustrative tool insert 72 for use with abucket tool organizer will now be described. The tool insert 72 maycomprise a contoured holster 74 having a first side panel 76, a firstend panel 78, a second side panel 80, and a second end panel 82. Thevarious panel members defining the contoured holster 74 may be formedfrom a cloth material such as canvas or nylon that is sewn togetheralong a number of stitch lines, represented generally by referencenumber 84. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the tool insert 72may be formed from a blank of polymeric material that can be molded to aparticular shape, as desired.

The contoured holster 74 may have a particular shape that correspondsgenerally to the shape of a relatively large tool such as the powerdrill. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, for example, thebottom boundary 86 of the contoured holster 74 may include a necked-downregion 88 that is contoured to the shape of the tool when inserted intothe holster 74. An opening 90 on the top of the contoured holster 74allows the insertion of the tool from above. The size and shape of thevarious panel pieces and the opening 90 can, of course, vary dependingon the particular tool to be inserted into the holster 74. A set ofVelcro® tabs 92 or other suitable fastening means located along theupper portion of the contoured holster 74 may be further provided toprevent inadvertent movement of the tool once inserted therein.

A set of clips 94 attached to the end panels 78,82 may be used to securethe tool insert 72 to the upper rim 18 of the container 14, therebyconverting the container 14 into a device suitable for use intransporting and storing relatively large tools. The tool insert 72 canbe configured to fit within the interior of the container 14, and may beused either exclusively or with the bucket mounted tool carrier 12 tostore tools and other useful implements. In certain embodiments, thetool insert 72 may include several side pockets 96 for the storage ofsmaller objects along the exterior of the contoured holster 74. Thepockets 94 may vary in dimension and style (e.g. open bottom, pocketstyle, etc.), and may be arranged about one or both side panels 76,80 ofthe contoured holster 74, as desired.

FIG. 5 is a lower-rear perspective view of the tool insert 72 of FIG. 4,showing the bottom portion of the tool insert 72 in greater detail. Asshown in FIG. 5, a bottom panel 98 of the contoured holster 74 may havea substantially closed configuration with a tapering shape that formsthe necked-down region 88. An eyelet 100 disposed through the bottompanel 98 may be provided to permit a portion of the inserted tool toextend partially below the bottom panel 96, as shown, for example, inFIG. 6. In those embodiments wherein a power drill is to be insertedinto the contoured holster 74, for example, the eyelet 100 allows thedrill bit to be inserted through the bottom panel 98, further holdingthe tool in place.

FIG. 6 is a cut-way perspective view showing the tool insert 72 attachedto the tool carrier 12 and container 14 of FIGS. 1-3. Tool insert 72 canalso be placed on container 14 without tool carrier 12. As shown in FIG.6, the tool insert 72 is configured to attach to the upper rim 18 of thecontainer 14, and may be used to store a relatively large tool such aspower drill 102. When attached thereto, the tool insert 72 suspends thetool 102 within a central interior portion of the container 14. Thepositioning of the tool 102 at this location is significant since theweight is distributed at or near the centroid of the container 14,providing greater stability to the device. Moreover, since the tool 102is held stationary within the contoured holster 74, instability causedfrom shifting of the tool 102 within the holster 74 during transport isfurther reduced or eliminated.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away perspective view showing tool insert 72 attached tothe tool carrier 12 as shown in FIG. 6. Here, however, rather thanshowing a tool such as power drill 102 inserted within holster 74, atoolbox 75 is shown. Toolbox 75 can be configured to conform to theshape of holster 74 as shown.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial-cross sectional view showing theattachment of the tool insert 72 to the tool carrier 12 and container14. As shown in FIG. 8, each clip 94 may be adapted to engage and securethe tool insert 72 to the upper rim 18 of the container 14 and to theexterior panel member 20 of the tool carrier 12. In addition to securingthe tool insert 72 to the container 14, clip 94 further serves thepurpose of holding the tool carrier 12 in place about the upper rim ofthe container 14. A leading end 104 of each clip 94 may be flaredslightly to facilitate attachment of the clip 94 about the upper rim 18of the container 14 and exterior panel member 20.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of an illustrative bucket toolorganizer 106 in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. Bucket tool organizer 106 is similar in constructionto the bucket tool organizer 10 discussed above, including a bucketmounted tool carrier 108 adapted to contour about an existing container110 such as a bucket, pail, or the like to permit the transport andstorage of tools, utensils, fasteners, and other frequently usedobjects. The tool carrier 108 may include a generally cylindrical-shapedinterior panel member 112 configured to drape over the upper rim 114 ofthe container 110 and extend downwardly to cover all or a portion of theinside surface of the container 110. An exterior panel member 116 formedfrom the same piece of material forming the interior panel member 112drapes over all or a portion of the exterior surface of the container110.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, the tool insert 118 is shownfixedly secured to the interior panel member 112 at a location slightlybelow the upper rim 114 of the container 110, eliminating the need forseparate clips. The tool insert 118 may include a contoured holster 120having a similar construction to the contoured holster 74 discussedabove with respect to FIGS. 4-5. For example, the contoured holster 120may have a shape that corresponds generally to the shape of a relativelylarge tool (e.g. a power drill). Other features discussed herein,including exterior pockets 122 and a set of Velcro® fastening tabs 124may further be implemented, as desired.

Having thus described the several embodiments of the present invention,those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that other embodimentsmay be made and used which fall within the scope of the claims attachedhereto. Numerous advantages of the invention covered by this documenthave been set forth in the foregoing description. It will be understoodthat this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changesmay be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size andarrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention.

1. A bucket tool organizer, comprising: a tool insert situated withinthe interior of a container having an upper end, an opening near theupper end, a closed lower end, and a side wall, said tool insertincluding a holster having a shape configured to tightly receive anobject therein, the shape being bounded by first and second side panels,first and second end panels, and a bottom panel.